India thrashed New Zealand by six wickets in the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27. With the win, the Men in Blue took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The Men in Blue now have the room to rest and rotate during the final two encounters of the rubber. Having already sealed the trophy, Shreyas Iyer and Co. can be expected to play around with their team combination and give some fresh faces time in the middle.
On that note, here are three changes India should make for the fourth T20I against New Zealand.
#3 Mayank Yadav for Bhuvneshwar Kumar
After a slightly expensive outing in the series opener, Mayank Yadav was dropped for Prince Yadav. Now, with the series having been sealed, India should look to bring back the talented youngster.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s international comeback hasn’t gone to plan as he has picked up just one wicket in the three T20Is thus far while going at well over 10 runs an over. The swing bowler ideally shouldn’t be part of the team’s plans over the next two-year cycle given his age, and giving Mayank another go seems logical.
#2 Varun Chakaravarthy for Arshdeep Singh
India’s insistence on batting depth and three specialist fast bowlers has meant that Varun Chakaravarthy hasn’t been picked so far. One of the world’s best spinners, Varun should be brought in for Arshdeep Singh, who could use a rest ahead of the ODI series.
This would leave India without a fourth seam option, but with the series already in the bag, it would be worthwhile to test their spinners and the other fast bowlers in challenging roles. Arshdeep, as a fixture in the T20I side, would have to make way for that to happen.
#1 Shivam Dube for Nitish Kumar Reddy
Another player who’s expected to feature prominently in the upcoming longer-format series, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been bowling four overs on a regular basis in recent times. The fast-bowling all-rounder is injury prone, and giving him a break ahead of the ODI and Test assignments would be smart.
Strangely, Shivam Dube has found himself on the bench lately, perhaps due to India viewing Reddy as a better option with the ball. Dube should thus be brought in and asked to send down a few overs, while also manning the middle order with his big-hitting abilities.
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Edited by Sai Krishna
